Pet Partners Pet of the Year 2025

Help crown me the 2025 Pet Partners Pet of the Year!

For the past decade, Koda has been my steadfast sidekick in service, embodying the heart and soul of what it means to be a therapy dog. As my third registered canine with Pet Partners, Koda has volunteered thousands of hours across a diverse range of settings — from schools, colleges,  and libraries to hospitals and grief support groups. Together, we’ve brought comfort to patients, supported children navigating loss, eased stress for college students, and fostered wellness in workplace programs.

Since the pandemic, Koda has donated over 250 hours to our hospital alone, becoming a familiar source of solace and joy. In 2020, his presence helped inspire a workplace wellness program, named Code Koda, that gained local media attention and sparked broader community awareness of animal-assisted therapy. This momentum led to the creation of a therapy dog training program, developed in partnership with a local kennel, to help prospective teams prepare for Pet Partners evaluations. What started as a small initiative with just six therapy dogs (with Koda and I are the only pet partners team ) has grown into a thriving program with over 20 registered Pet Partners teams in under a year — now expanding statewide across 12 healthcare organizations.

Koda’s influence goes even further. His work inspired me to become an additional handler for another therapy dog, who now thrives at a local children’s mental health facility. On days our therapy dogs visit, inpatient children experience full mental and emotional stability for 24 hours — a testament to the profound healing impact these animals bring.

Koda’s impact is so significant that he has been featured in the department’s annual report and the Medical Center board’s recruitment report as a key driver of community engagement and wellness. His influence extends beyond the hospital, helping our area become Pet Partners of Eastern Maine — the state’s only Pet Partner community partner — uniting teams through events like the Annual Pet Walk, which raised over $1,000 in its first year. His gentle presence has inspired new volunteers, including teams formed in response to community tragedies, illustrating the profound power of human-animal connection in times of crisis.

Turning 15 this year and celebrating 10 years of service (why our goal is $10k), Koda continues to thrive in his role, with our veterinarian affirming his health and purpose. While retirement may be on the horizon, Koda’s legacy is already woven into the fabric of our community. His work has been featured in statewide media and even graced the cover of a Maine magazine, but his greatest achievement is the movement he helped ignite — one that will continue to grow long after he hangs up his therapy vest.

Koda has not only inspired me to deepen my work through educational certifications in animal assisted therapy and to become an evaluator, but he has taught me invaluable lessons in empathy, resilience, and the transformative power of connection. It would be an honor to see him recognized for his decade of unwavering service and for helping shape the future of therapy dog programs across Maine.